The Sweetest Thing
by J.Turenne
Summary: Syd gets a surprise package... Chapter five.
1. Chapter 1

The Sweetest Thing  
  
A/N- This came to me rather unexpectedly while biking over to math class. As such, it's not a particularly developed idea, just a bit of fluff. But I'll do what I can with it. Reviews- Please? Pretty Please? Disclaimer- No matter ho much I wish they did, Syd, Vaughn, Francie and anybody else who may come up don't belong to me. You win some, you lose some. Also, the song "Crash and Burn" is from Savage Garden. A/N again- This takes place some time shortly after "The Indicator", the next morning I guess.  
  
This had been worst night of her life, and there'd been a lot of bad nights. Since she'd been little, there had always been one parent who was "the bad guy", a black and white difference. First her mother was the saint, but then she found out who her mother had actually been. Her father had instantly been promoted instead. And now this. In the last few weeks, she'd been shot by her mother and nearly blown up by her father. Not to mention finding out about "Project Christmas". Now the line between parents had blurred; neither was black or white. They were both just grey. Very dark grey.  
  
She felt lower than dirt. 'Aren't your family the people you are supposed to be able to depend on?' she thought with a sardonic smile. Not in the Bristow family. But then, they were anything but normal.  
  
Sydney sat up in bed. If she stayed any longer then Francie would notice, and the last thing she wanted was an interrogation right then. Besides, she had a meeting with Sloane at noon. Not that she wanted to go do that any more than she wanted to have to lie to Francie.  
  
Heaving a deep sigh, Sydney slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Half an hour later she was out of the shower and dressed. She was about to dry her hair when the doorbell rang. Her natural defenses kicked in immediately, but she decided that anyone who wanted to hurt her or her friends wouldn't bother to ring. She headed towards the door and opened it cautiously. A pair of brown eyes stared at her from a round face.  
  
"A package for Miss," He glanced down at his list, "Sydney Bristow?"  
  
"Yes, that's me," she replied, curiously. Who ever sent her anything? If it was from her father, she swore to herself that she was going to burn it. Whatever it was.  
  
"Sign here please," the delivery man said. She hurriedly did so, then grabbed the thin white box and stepped back inside. She plopped down on the couch, but before she could open her package Francie's voice floated down from her room.  
  
"Who was that, Syd?" she asked, poking her head out of the door.  
  
"Just a guy delivering me a package."  
  
"Anything good?"  
  
"No, just something for work. A bunch of documents from a client." As much as she hated lying to her friends, Sydney somehow felt that this was something that she should open without her Francie looking over her shoulder.  
  
Francie stepped into the hall. "Okay, well, I need to get down to the restaurant. How do I look?"  
  
"Perfect," Sydney said with a smile, glad not to have to lie this time. She hugged Francie goodbye, then waited until she was out the door to return to her box. Cautiously she removed the tape on the sides, the lifted the lid.  
  
Inside were a CD, a note, and a single gorgeous red rose. She was immediately touched but also deeply suspicious of Jack. But, then again, this wasn't his style. If he'd been trying to buy her back he would have sent dozens of roses. He would never realize that just one would touch her far more.  
  
Intrigued, Sydney pulled out the note.  
  
Syd, I know that this has been incredibly hard for you, and I'm so sorry. I just wanted you to know that I'll always, always be here for you and that. well, you'll hear the rest.  
  
As Always, Your Guardian Angel  
  
Sydney stared at the note, dumbfounded in a wonderful way. She lifted the rose almost reverently from the box and held it gently to her nose, inhaling the wonderful scent. She carried the rose and the CD into her room and popped it into her Discman. 4 TRACKS, it displayed. Slipping the headphones onto her ears she pressed play. The voice that meant more to her than anything flooded into her ears.  
  
I know that this isn't really safe, Syd, and before I start the practical part of me has to get it's say in and tell you that you have to destroy this after you listen to it. I'm so sorry for putting you in danger like this. I just. well, I know what it's like to lose a father and, well, even though it was in a different way for me. Well, you know what I'm trying to say. You always do.  
  
She could hear the smile in his voice on the last comment, and a small smile crept onto her own face as well. She had always thought that it was him who knew what she was thinking. Maybe it was some of both.  
  
Anyway, I heard this song on the radio tonight and thought that it could say what I wanted to much better than I ever could. So, without further ado.  
  
The Discman whirred as the track changed. So did the voice.  
  
When you feel all alone.  
  
'Crash and Burn,' she thought. How could she have known how much she loved this song? (A/N- I'm not putting all the lyrics in right now. Whole songs in fics are one of my pet peeves. If you've never heard the song before, it would probably be a good idea to find them for yourself. They're not hard to find.) Still, she realized as the song played, she had never really listened to the lyrics before. They fit her life so well.  
  
You're not alone.  
  
As the last line played, she pushed pause on the CD player. She was briefly shocked to feel the tears on her face; she hadn't really even realized that she had been crying. That was exactly how she had been feeling, so alone that she didn't know what to do. And Vaughn had been there to "break her fall". Getting herself back under control, the thought crossed her mind that this was the sweetest thing that anyone had ever done for her. But then, that was to be expected, because Vaughn was the sweetest person she had ever known.  
  
Syd wiped the last of the tears from her eyes and pressed play again. The beloved voice returned.  
  
Syd, this one is a warning. I just. I would never want to hurt you, and if you're not ready to hear what I have to say, then don't listen to the next track. Let's just say that, unless protocol has lost all meaning for you, stop this now.  
  
'Protocol?' Sydney thought, confused. What does protocol have to do with anything?  
  
By the time she realized what he was going to say, it would have been to late to stop the recording if she had wanted to.  
  
Sydney.I love you. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
A/N- Here it is, chapter 2. I know that three different points of view and no dialogue at all is a bit much, but things will get better next chapter. This is my little bit of destressifying fluff, and I don't want to even try to get at all deep. Sorry.  
  
Review- The more, the merrier!! I live on reviews.  
  
Disclaimer- See chapter 1.  
  
Vaughn paced restlessly around his apartment. Had he done the right thing? He didn't want to pressure Syd, especially now, but last night.  
  
Seeing her there, mascara mixing with tears as it ran down her cheeks, had, oddly enough, only made him fall for her even more. All he had thought about as he'd held her was how much he wanted to be able to take her pain away, to bear it for her.  
  
Well.. Maybe not ALL he'd thought about..  
  
Even then, ESPECIALLY then, she had been beautiful. But it wasn't just her beauty that made her attractive to him. It was her determination, her strength, her unflagging bravery and loyalty. Even her weaknesses (the very few of them) only drew him closer to her. In short, he loved everything that made Sydney Sydney.  
  
Love.  
  
It was a powerful word, and an even more powerful feeling. He knew this as well as anybody, and a lot better than some. After all, here he was putting his career, his heart, and even his life on the line for a woman who might not even feel the same way.  
  
And he would do it again in a heartbeat.  
  
Donovan's paws on his leg startled Vaughn back into reality. Patting the dog absently on the head, Vaughn sighed and walked over to sit and stare at the phone. Why hadn't she called? It was nearly five o' clock. The courier had sworn on pain of death that she would get it by eleven. He knew that she had an SD-6 briefing at noon, but that must have finished ages ago. She SHOULD have called by now, even if it was just to arrange a meeting about her counter-mission.  
  
Was she avoiding him, then? Was she disgusted, or, worse, angry? Had she-he drew in a sharp breath-had she turned him in to his superiors? Devlin, perhaps? He couldn't imagine her being so cruel as to turn him in without even speaking to him first.  
  
So what, then? Maybe she hadn't gotten it. That courier was going to get it if this was the case. Or maybe she had it and hadn't opened it yet. Or maybe she hadn't been home when it got there. Or maybe-or maybe- or maybe..  
  
Sighing again, Vaughn stood and resumed his pacing.  
  
--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*- -*--*--*--*--*--  
  
Sydney sat, staring openmouthed at the CD player whirring to a stop in her lap. This was so surreal, something from a movie or a faerie tale. Things like this didn't happen to normal people.  
  
"How many times do you have to remind yourself that you're not normal?" the small, sarcastic voice floated up through her dreamy haze.  
  
What DID she feel for Michael Vaughn? More than friendship, she was sure. But..love?  
  
The word gave her shivers, but not the pleasant kind that most people got. Danny was dead, Noah was dead. Will, because his love was unrequited, had managed to only have his life destroyed rather than taken. She couldn't bear for that to happen to Vaughn too.  
  
Even if she did manage to convince herself that a relationship with Vaughn wouldn't result in his death, there was still that thoroughly disgusting thing called protocol. She wasn't even supposed to LOOK at Vaughn most of the time. If anyone connected at all with the CIA found out about the package he had sent he would be instantly transferred off of her case, no matter what either of them might say.  
  
Her reverie was shattered by a quick glance at the clock. She had ten minutes to get to SD-6 headquarters and it was a fifteen minute drive. She leapt up and dashed for the door, quickly hiding the box and it's contents away. In her haste, however, she neglected to notice that she had left Vaughn's note on the coffee table..  
  
--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*- -*--*--*--*--*--  
  
Francie stepped into the house, her exasperated expression and slam of the door indicating her mood all too clearly. She thumped her purse down on the counter and all but threw herself into the couch. Her fingers snaked through her hair and down to massage her temples.  
  
This was NOT a day that she wanted to have to live again. First thing in the morning, somebody had knocked over a bottle of ketchup and she had spent an hour cleaning up glass and red goop. Then Janine, the new waitress, had shown up three hours late with no excuse whatever. THEN the little old lady who always came in for lunch..  
  
Francie lost her train of thought when she noticed the note on the table. Impossible though she had just thought it, her annoyance increased. Syd had probably been called off on another God-forsaken business trip, and this note was all that would be seen of her for the next few days. Francie lifted the note, unfolded the crisp white stationary, and began to read.  
  
A/N- More coming soon. Pleeeeeeeeeeeese review!!!! By the way, I'm not sure how long it actually takes Syd to get to the Credit Dauphine building. Do any of you know? 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three  
  
A/N- Tonight's episode, at the bar-did anybody else want to just hug Vaughn, Will and Sydney and kill Alice? And on the roof...Syd can't even hug her mom..God, that was sad. And POOR MARSHALL!!!!! Sorry, I'll stop ranting now. As usual, sorry about the slow update time. I have finally given myself up to the fact that all you readers prefer my fluff to my angst. Next chapter up as soon as I can think of what it should say and actually write it down. She'll finally talk to Vaughn in that one.  
  
Reviews- As usual, I prostrate myself before you all. Please, please review!!! I'm lost without them. I die a little inside every time my inbox is empty.  
  
Syd was exhausted already, and today was NOTHING compared to some days in her life. It was becoming harder and harder for her to pretend ignorance at SD-6, when she wanted to scream "SD-6 is NOT the CIA!" at the top of her lungs every time she walked into the place. She wondered who would believe her. Nobody, probably. They might reconsider when she was found dead the next day.  
  
She had managed, through what feat of will she could not imagine, not to think about Vaughn throughout her SD-6 briefing, but it had been tough work, even for someone in her field. Somehow, she had decided that if she didn't even THINK Vaughn's name around Sloane, then maybe he would never have to pay the deadly price that every man who loved her paid sooner or later...  
  
She was still deep in thought as she turned the key in her lock and let herself into her house.  
  
"Syd?" Francie's voice, accompanied by multiple tantalizing aromas, assailed her form the general area of the kitchen.  
  
"Hey Fran," Sydney replied, hanging her coat up and heading towards her friend. She was met before she made it halfway there by Francie, who wore a full length red apron and was armed with a wooden spoon.  
  
"Oh no you don't," Sydney suddenly found herself being batted violently towards the living room by Francie's spoon. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me absolutely everything."  
  
Sydney almost froze, but her long years of training helped her manage to keep her façade in place. 'You are not Sydney Bristow the agent OR Sydney Bristow the double agent now. You are just Syd, Francie's best friend. You know nothing about espionage. You have no secrets'.  
  
"What do you mean, Francie? When do I ever keep secrets from you?" She managed to smile in a puzzled way.  
  
"Then what's this?" Francie's tone was slightly annoyed but mostly expectant and she slid the note from her apron pocket into Sydney's hand.  
  
'Oh, crap,' was Syd's immediate mental response. 'Okay, Bristow, you're supposed to be some kind of genius. You can bluff your way out of this one somehow..'  
  
"Come on Syd, spill. Who is he and why haven't you ever told me about him before?"  
  
"How do you know it's a he?" Syd provided lamely. Francie's eyebrows responded for her, quirking into a look of 'did you even sound convincing to yourself?'  
  
"Okay, okay, so it's a he."  
  
"Soooo.. Who is he and why is his letter so cryptic?"  
  
"He's one of my clients." Where had THAT come from? Lies were easier to spit out than the truth these days. "We've been attracted to each other for a long time, but we felt that we couldn't maintain a professional relationship if we tried a personal one." Sydney was surprised at how lame this sounded. Too bad it was the truth.  
  
Francie was sympathetic but still slightly skeptical. "So what's been 'incredibly hard for you'?"  
  
"His account is extremely thorny. I've been wading through miles of red tape and all kinds of other problems too. It's a mess." Another half- truth. The problem that she was working on with Vaughn was extremely difficult, and it was taking so much out of her. It just had nothing to do with banking; it had to do with international crime.  
  
"So, how long have you known this guy?"  
  
"A little more than a year."  
  
"That long? And the reason I never heard about him before is.."  
  
"You have."  
  
"WHEN?"  
  
"He's the one who gave me the picture frame.." Sydney knew that this didn't really count, but she wasn't in the mood to quibble over small points. Unfortunately, Francie was.  
  
"Oh, that soooo doesn't count. I mean, you didn't even tell me his name. In fact, you still haven't.."  
  
What was the harm in giving the right first name? "It's Michael," she said softly. For being so common, the name felt strange and exotic when applied to her handler. He had always been just Vaughn. Was she ready for him to be Michael yet?  
  
"You love him."  
  
Francie's statement shocked her. "I'm not sure yet how I feel," she replied.  
  
"You do, though. You haven't used that tone of voice about anybody since Danny died."  
  
Syd's eyes widened at her friend's strong reaction. In their house, the two subjects which were generally off limits were Danny and Charlie, and the use of Danny's name was enough to convince her that Francie meant business. How could Francie possibly be so sure that she was in love?  
  
'Because it's written all over my face,' Sydney realized. Every time she thought about him, or saw him, or heard his voice, or said his name she got both softer and stronger inside. Meeting with him was almost always the high point of her day. Joey's Pizza calls made her grin like a fool. But more than that, Vaughn was the only person she could trust, the one person who would never betray her, the person who would always love HER unconditionally, no matter what. How could she help loving him, really?  
  
Sydney's eyes started to tear up, and Francie, noticing, slid over on the couch and pulled Syd into a hug. "You're right, Francie. I..I do love him." The revelation both scared her and filled her with joy.  
  
"Then what are you waiting for? Go get him, Syd!" Francie pulled back and grinned at her friend.  
  
Syd bit her lip. "There's still protocol.."  
  
"Syd, I see how much you care about this guy. There shouldn't be anything more important than that. Well..except me, of course."  
  
Sydney finally grinned back. "Right as usual, Fran. I'm on my way." She jumped up and grabbed her phone, purse and coat. Then, as an afterthought, she ran back to her room to take the rose that he had given her. "I'm supposed to meet him tonight anyway. I'll just call and tell him to meet me earlier." She would call Vaughn on her cell on the way to the warehouse. Right now she just had to see him, to tell him that she loved him too. Suddenly there was nothing more important.  
  
"Just one more question, Syd."  
  
"Yes?" She paused, almost out the door.  
  
Francie's grin returned as she asked, "Is he hot?"  
  
Syd laughed out loud. "If I tried to say how hot, you wouldn't even believe me." With one last smile at her friend, Sydney closed the door and was about to walk out to her car when she ran into Will on the steps.  
  
She didn't have to say anything at all. "Good guys or bad guys?" he queried with a smile.  
  
"One very good guy," she replied, sure that her face would split apart if she smiled any wider. She kissed a very out of the loop Will on the cheek and darted off towards the car, pausing only to shout back to Will, "Ask Francie, she'll be dying to tell!"  
  
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- *-*-*-*-*-  
  
Vaughn had finally given up pacing. He sat in his most comfortable chair, completely dejected, his phone in one hand and the other absently patting Donovan on the head. This was it, he had decided. She'd turned him in. She didn't love him. He'd been a fool to think she could. After all, she had Will..  
  
And then his phone rang.  
  
For a moment he sat in stunned silence, then hastily answered it and brought it to his ear.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hi!" It was her. It was HER! And she sounded ..happy?!  
  
He tried to speak, but his brain didn't seem to be working. Luckily, she spoke for him.  
  
"The warehouse, half an hour, be there."  
  
"I will." There was nothing else to say. She wanted to see him! She didn't hate him. In just half an hour, she would be there in front of him, and he would know for sure.  
  
His heart started beating again.  
  
A/N- They will finally meet in the next chapter. I know that not too much happened in this chapter, but they were things that needed to happen. Please bear with me, and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four  
  
A/N- I know that my update speed is TERRIBLE, and I humbly beg for your forgiveness. I am going to make a serious effort to update this at least once a week from now on. I know that Syd's monologue is quite awkward and much too long, but bear with me because the end is better (I think).  
  
Reviews- Again, thank you so much to everyone who has already reviewed. I cannot possibly put into words how much reviews mean to me, I need them more than water or air or any of those so-called necessities (Have you ever read 'Love is Not All' by Edna St. Vincent Millay? That's how I feel, except about reviews instead of love). Please, Please, Please Review!!!!!!!  
  
Disclaimer-You didn't REALLY think that I invented all this, did you? No, I thought not.  
  
When Sydney began her drive, she was absolutely ecstatic. As she neared the warehouse, however, her mood began to lessen slightly as questions began to run wild through her brain. She no longer doubted that telling Vaughn how she felt was the right thing to do. But that wouldn't make anything easier. The risks were still incredible and the punishment if they were caught by the CIA or SD-6 would be severe. And what exactly did he expect from her? Was his declaration of love an 'I know that we can't do anything yet' or an 'I think it's worth the risks now'? Not only that, but, more in the short term, what would she say to him? His message had been so beautiful. What could she possibly say that would mean as much to him? Every phrase or sentence that came to mind seemed clichéd or cold, or simply not something that she would say.  
  
Sydney laughed softly. She would simply have to do what her job had trained her so intensively for-improvise.  
  
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There had never been any question as to who would arrive first-he was always there before she was, no matter what the circumstances. Normally she didn't mind this setup much. They lived in a world where the upper hand changed in the blink of an eye and where people came back from the dead. Under such conditions, it was nice to know that at least one small thing could stay the same. Today, however, Sydney would much rather have had some time to prepare herself before meeting with him. Ah, well, one couldn't have everything. Sydney stepped out of her car, smoothed her skirt, tucked back her hair (silently admitting to Dixon that it MIGHT be her 'thing'), and walked briskly toward the warehouse.  
  
Inside, Vaughn heard her car door and stiffened. 'Okay, Michael, this is it,' he told himself. 'Don't fidget, don't be too pushy, let her talk first..' his steam of mental advice was abruptly halted as she came into view, replaced by the only thought that his brain would send him: 'God, she's so beautiful'. Her hair was down, her attire was simple and her makeup minimal, but she was still a Goddess to him. His eyes traveled first to the rose in her hand (HIS rose, his mind reminded him with a very slight smugness), then up to her face. She blushed slightly but held his eyes. She started to say something, and then paused, deciding to take it slow.  
  
"Hi," she said softly. 'Wow, Syd, that was deep,' her mind taunted her.  
  
"Hi," he replied, never taking his eyes from hers. The electricity between them was stronger than ever before, which was definitely saying something.  
  
Deciding that if she didn't start talking now she never would, Sydney began to speak. "Vaughn..this may not come out quite the way I want it to, but...well, you know the life that I lead, the life that we both lead and you know better than anyone that it's not often that I actually get to speak from the heart," she looked down briefly, smiling with one corner of her mouth. "In fact, lately I haven't been able to say what I really feel at all. So to bare my heart completely.." she trailed off, taking a deep breath. "That's not easy for me to do."  
  
He nodded gently, his eyes offering silent support but his mouth staying shut, knowing that interruption wouldn't help her now.  
  
She continued, "When I got your package this morning, listened to what you said..I was floored completely." She noticed the look of fear leap onto his face and hastily added, "Not in a bad way! It was.." she searched for an adequate word, "The kindest, sweetest, and most wonderful thing that's happened to me since..since I don't know when."  
  
He didn't know whether to be hopeful or afraid; so far she hadn't rejected him, but he sensed a 'but' coming on.  
  
"But," his stomach turned at the word, "I wasn't quite sure how to respond. I knew that I had feelings for you, feelings beyond friendship but.." she stopped to gather her thoughts, "I was afraid at first to call it love. I mean, every man I've loved since I became a spy is..well, either dead or has gone through living hell. And for awhile it was like..like if I didn't call it love even to me that I could save you from that."  
  
"Anyway, about five minutes after I opened your package I realized that I was already late for a meeting at SD-6 and basically made a mad dash out the door." Vaughn was severely confused at this point; what did this have to do with what she had just been saying? "Because I was so hurried, I left your note on the table, and Francie found it." His eyes lit up in alarm. What exactly had he written in that note? He hadn't reread it, had made no corrections, knowing that if he did so he would loose his nerve. Was there something in that note that Francie shouldn't have seen? Sydney obligingly answered his unspoken question, "It was pretty vague, but she gathered enough from it to guess that it was sent by a man, and, being Francie, she wanted all the juicy details." Sydney gulped. Her words were coming out slower as she got closer and closer to the point of her ramble. "I told her as much as I could, lied when I had to. Eventually she asked for your name, and when I told her that it was Michael.." a shiver ran through her. When would she stop having that reaction to his given name? Never, she hoped. "..She immediately said 'You love him'. And..well, I knew that she was right. I do love you, Vaughn. You are the person who keeps me sane through the hard times and makes me smile during the good. You are the person who knows my strengths AND my weaknesses and takes them both together. You are the one person who has had a million chances to make me cry but never have, and I know never will. And, most of all, you are the person who assures me that every cloud DOES have a silver lining, because despite all of the darkness and pain that my job has brought me, it also brought you, and that makes it worth it all."  
  
He didn't speak and she glanced up slowly, dreading what that silence might mean. She knew that she had been rambling, and feared that it had been too much too quickly, that maybe his feelings didn't run as deep. She needn't have worried. Meeting his eyes, she found that his face was plastered in a ridiculous grin that made her laugh out loud. He laughed too, both of them feeling as though an immense weight had been lifted from them.  
  
"Syd," he said softly, that name a whisper, a caress. His endless green eyes held hers, his smile still very much present but toned down a notch. "What's a guy to say to that?"  
  
She realized how close they were to each other, how much he was affecting her even without touch. 'Time to change that,' she decided. Her eyes still locked with his, she slid her arms around his neck, moved closer to him and whispered, "Nothing," so softly that he wouldn't have heard it were she not so close.  
  
Every place she touched him set fire to his skin, the electricity between them striking like lightning and spreading mercilessly. Her eyes were deep but held a note of teasing as well, a note that he decided to act upon. Leaning in to her, his lips so close to her ear that a single centimeter closer would have brought them into contact, he murmured, "If I shouldn't talk then what should I do?"  
  
She instantly loved the teasing note in his voice; this was a side of his character that she hadn't seen before. She pulled back just enough so that he could see her face before saying, "I thought you're supposed to be the one who gives me the plan, Agent Vaughn." Normally the title would have offended him slightly (coming from Syd, of course), but the tone of her voice turned it into a term of endearment rather than one authority.  
  
"Well, then," his voice sank lower as he moved his face almost painfully close to hers, "We could try th.." The last word was cut off as their lips met, softly at first, but soon deepening as all of the restrained emotion of the past year came crashing in upon them. Her arms tightened around his neck, fingers snaking through his hair; his hands had found their way, seemingly without any direction whatever, to her back, pulling her even closer. They lingered for a small eternity, touching and tasting, their pleasure all the sweeter because it was forbidden. Finally lack of air forced them apart, but they stayed in each other's arms, letting their eyes say all the things that they could not.  
  
Suddenly, from the doorway, issued a voice that both of them hated but knew only too well.  
  
"Well, well, well, Agent Bristow, we have been a bad little girl.."  
  
A/N: Cliffhangers are all in the Alias spirit, after all. Review, Review, Review!!!!! I need to know what I'm doing wrong with the romance; I'm really more of an angst writer myself. 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N-you've probably all forgotten about this story by now; I'm REALLY sorry that it's been so long. But I'm an angst writer. I really am. I have to be happy to write this story, and I'm angsty much more often than happy. Which is why the angst ones get written faster. I know that this is short, but I have this new story that must at least get started before 'Truth Takes Time' airs, and I've been away from my laptop.  
  
Reviews-Please? Please? Oh, please, please, please? What more can I say?  
  
Sydney could feel the ice creeping into her veins. How could he have found them there? There, the warehouse, the one place that had always been safe. Had she been followed? Sydney gulped as she realized that she had failed to watch her back while she drove half as well as she should have on account of her heightened mood, and she mentally admitted that it was possible that she might have been followed by someone who knew what they were doing.  
  
Which he did.  
  
Turning away from Vaughn, as slowly as humanly possible, she looked up into a face that she had hoped never to see again. "Need I point out, MR. Sark, that if I'm a little girl you must still be an infant?" she said in her coolest tone, hoping to appear unfazed, even though nothing was further from the truth. Even she couldn't get used to the feeling of a gun pointed at her, especially by Sark and ESPECIALLY when a single shot could kill both her and Vaughn. But even if she couldn't avoid the dread creeping through her, she could stop her eyes from wandering to the gun barrel in Sark's hand, instead keeping her eyes on Sark's, hoping to read them somehow.  
  
Vaughn was impressed by her composure; the thought of being walked in on by anyone just then had sent him into a cold sweat, and the identity of that person just made things worse. Syd, however, seemed to be quite in control of the situation. Sark, unfortunately, was unimpressed by her performance and announced, "A minor point at such a moment, Miss Bristow," he drew out her name deliberately.  
  
"Which moment are you referring to, Sark? The kiss, or the extremely unwelcome interruption by the annoying, cocky Brit who showed up shortly thereafter?" Sydney was sure that her mother must have chosen members of her organization based upon their ability to banter as much as their ability to fight. But she could beat Sark in both; after all, her genes from both sides had endowed her with gifts in combat and conversation.  
  
The grin that she hated slid into position, and he shot back, "Does it matter? In either case, my manner of address is hardly the most pressing issue."  
  
"What would you have had me say?" Her voice turned tauntingly sweet, "Oh, Mr. Sark, it's so nice to see you! I believe you and Agent Vaughn have already been introduced," a wicked grin crept onto her face and her tone returned to normal, "When he knocked you out and handcuffed you to a fence in Denpasar? Hmm, yes, I'm sure that would have been much more appropriate."  
  
His smile didn't waver. "Oh, but Miss Bristow, my last meeting with your..friend was more cordial than OUR last encounter. I mean, he didn't throw a pickaxe into my leg.."  
  
"And you didn't shoot him under several inches of ice. But we both seem to have healed nicely, just in time to give each other a few more scars."  
  
Sark smiled even wider. "I'm afraid that none of us will be adding to our scar collections today. You see, Miss Bristow, I'm not here for you. I came for Mr. Vaughn."  
  
"Vaughn?" Sydney was genuinely flabbergasted. What information did he have that she didn't?  
  
"Yes. I was anticipating some trouble getting him into custody, but now I can see that won't be the case."  
  
"Oh, so you expect me to just turn around and walk out after you?" It was the first time that Vaughn had spoken since Sark had entered; he respected the fact that Sydney felt that she had to fight Sark herself, and so hadn't interfered. But he was the topic of conversation now, and he was damned if he was going to let them decide his own fate without him.  
  
"Actually, yes, Mr. Vaughn. You see, I intend to keep my gun aimed at Sydney here, and if either of you so much as think of trying something her head will be gone." Sark looked Vaughn in the eyes for the first time. "I know that the threat to your own life wouldn't mean much, but when she is at risk.."  
  
Noting Sark's momentary distraction, Sydney made her move. With one kick, the gun went spinning out of Sark's hand; the next hit him right in the forehead and sent him reeling. But Sark, like Sydney, had been trained to think and to recover quickly. He aimed a kick of his own, which Sydney dodged. However, as she swerved, he caught her head under his arm and held on tight. Sydney flailed wildly as she slowly lost breath, but somehow she couldn't seem to dislodge Sark's arm. She clawed, scratched, hit, kicked, and bit, but at such an awkward angle and with no weapon of any sort at hand she was unable to break his hold.  
  
Sark used his other hand to reach into his boot and pull out a knife. He switched hands so that it was up against Sydney's neck.  
  
But this time, Vaughn had managed to retrieve Sark's gun, mentally cursing himself for having left his own at headquarters when he came to meet Syd. However, Sark's voice stopped him from using it.  
  
"If you shoot, Mr. Vaughn, my hand will automatically twitch. Which, in this case, would be more than enough to spell death for Agent Bristow. Therefore, I SUGEST," he said the word in a tone that indicated that it was anything BUT a suggestion, "that you throw the gun away and put your hands behind your head."  
  
Vaughn did so; Sark kept his knife at Sydney's throat as he moved over to retrieve the gun. Pointing that at Sydney's head instead, he slipped the knife back into his boot and drew a pair of handcuffs from his coat pocket. "Put them on," he instructed, and Vaughn obeyed. 'Please don't let him hurt Sydney; I'll do anything he wants, just don't let him hurt her,' rang through Vaughn's head over and over, but he had too much pride to beg aloud.  
  
Smirking, Sark used his free hand to reach into his pocket and draw out a small, rectangular device that Sydney recognized instantly as a stunner. There was no way, she quickly decided, that she was going to let Sark get away with this! After all, she had bested him in fights before. Taking a deep breath and shooting a look at Vaughn, she struck.  
  
A/N-Forgive me, fight scenes are not my thing. I will update sometime fairly soon. 


End file.
